A 12-year-old girl was found dead after a grenade explosion behind her family’s home on August 20, police confirmed.
The victim was identified as Angel Malayon Malid, a resident of Barangay Labangal. Police said she was an out-of-school youth.
According to Makar Police Station chief Police Major Miguel Angelo Quidilla, Malid was discovered lifeless in a hammock about two to three meters behind her house. She sustained severe injuries from the blast.
Her stepfather, Brino Dizon, told police that before the explosion, he saw Angel walking outside the house while her siblings watched television. He assumed she was looking for scrap metal bottles to sell to a local junk buyer, a common activity for her.
About 15 minutes later, Dizon heard a loud explosion behind the house. When he checked, he discovered Angel fatally injured.
Dizon said he believed Angel might have mistaken the grenade for scrap metal, taken it to the hammock, and played with it. He said this theory was strengthened by the Scene of the Crime Operatives’ (SOCO) findings, which showed that one of Angel’s hands had been severed, suggesting she may have been handling the device when it detonated.
Police are continuing their investigation and have not ruled out other possible scenarios.
Authorities have yet to determine where the grenade came from or how the child was able to obtain it.
The incident has raised concern among residents of Barangay Labangal, where the tragedy occurred, with calls for heightened vigilance and proper disposal of explosives in the community.
